Marino blasts canceling of White House tours

WASHINGTON- Earlier today (March 5 Congressional offices were notified that effective March 9, 2013, all White House tours would be cancelled until further notice.

“Instead of taking this opportunity to cut wasteful spending, the President is choosing to make his sequester as painful as possible for the American people. It is extremely disappointing to see that over one million annual visitors – including families and school groups – will be turned away as a result of this political stunt. Perhaps the President should scale back the million-dollar golf outings or any one of his multiple vacations to Hawaii before he closes the White House doors,” said Rep. Marino.

On March 4, 2013, House Administration Committee Chair Candice Miller (R-MI) gave each Member of Congress notice that their budgets would be cut 8.2 percent as a result of the President’s sequester.

“Yesterday we were told that our offices would be cut by over 8 percent, but because I have always operated both my Washington office and my Constituent Service Centers back in the district in a frugal manner, my staff and I will be able to absorb and implement this cut while maintaining the highest level of constituent service to the people of the 10th District,” Marino added.

Over the past two years, the Republican-led House has cut Congressional budgets by 11 percent not including the sequester. At the beginning of the 112th Congress, Member budgets were cut by 5 percent, and then again in 2012 by an additional 6.4 percent.

In their cancellation notice, the White House Visitors Office asked that inquiries regarding this situation use the Visitors Office 24-hour hotline, at (202) 456-7041.